Ingestion planning for complex tables

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for generating a plan for document processing. A plurality of electronic documents are received, by a computer, using a network. The plurality of electronic documents are analyzed, using the computer, to identify a plurality of tabular data, based on the analyzed plurality of electronic documents. Textual data is identified within the identified tabular data, of the analyzed plurality of electronic documents. Textual hints are generated, based on the identified textual data within the identified tabular data. References are identified, wherein references are based on matching textual hints with textual data in the received plurality of electronic documents. A count of references is calculated, associated with one or more sets of tabular data. A priority score is calculated based on the count of references, and an ingestion plan is generated, based on the calculated priority score.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of documentprocessing, and more particularly to analysis of ingestion ofmulti-formatted tables in a document.

In an unstructured information system, information sources are maincomponent yielding analytical results. For many domains such as science,medicine, or finance, documents may contain complex tables with embeddedtextual content. Isolated tables may not be as valuable as tables incontext. Table with associated contextual content may be difficult toprocess due to multiple formatting styles or other errors typicallyassociated with, styling, Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) extractionor Optical Character Recognition (OCR) extraction. Ingestion of tablesinto unstructured information systems may be inefficient in both timeand resources used.

SUMMARY

It may be advantageous to minimize errors associated with traditionaldata extraction by optimizing ingestion plans for documents containingtables and contextual content associated with a table. Embodiments ofthe present invention disclose a method, computer program product, andsystem for generating a plan for document processing. A plurality ofelectronic documents are received, by a computer, using a network. Theplurality of electronic documents are analyzed, using the computer, toidentify a plurality of tabular data, based on the analyzed plurality ofelectronic documents. Textual data is identified within the identifiedtabular data, of the analyzed plurality of electronic documents. Textualhints are generated, based on the identified textual data within theidentified tabular data. References are identified, wherein referencesare based on matching textual hints with textual data in the receivedplurality of electronic documents. A count of references is calculated,associated with one or more sets of tabular data. A priority score iscalculated based on the count of references, and an ingestion plan isgenerated, based on the calculated priority score.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed dataprocessing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the components of anapplication within the distributed data processing environment, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an application within thedistributed data processing environment, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of an ingestionapplication, on a server computer within the data processing environmentof FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of an ingestionapplication, on a server computer within the data processing environmentof FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of components of the server computerexecuting the ingestion application, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative cloud computingenvironment, according to an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a multi-layered functional illustration of the cloud computingenvironment of FIG. 7, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may beembodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theexemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to thoseskilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known featuresand techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresented embodiments.

References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

As presented in various embodiments of the invention, it may beadvantageous for a system to identify the relative importance ofembedded structured data within documents. Priority given to structureddata of higher importance may allow efficiency in ingestion ofstructured data and the documents that contain said data.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference tothe Figures. Referring to FIG. 1, a general distributed data processingenvironment 100 is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. Distributed data processing environment 100 includesserver 110 and data store 130 interconnected through over network 140.

Network 140 may include permanent connections, such as wire or fiberoptic cables, or temporary connections made through telephone orwireless communications. Network 140 may represent a worldwidecollection of networks and gateways, such as the Internet, that usevarious protocols to communicate with one another, such as LightweightDirectory Access Protocol (LDAP), Transport Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (TCP/IP), Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP), WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP), etc. Network 140 may also include a numberof different types of networks, such as, for example, an intranet, alocal area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN).

Each of server 110 and data store 130 may be a laptop computer, tabletcomputer, netbook computer, personal computer (PC), desktop computer,smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capable of anexchange of data packets with other electronic devices, for example,through a network adapter, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention, and which may be described generally with respect to FIG. 4below. In various embodiments, server 110 may be a separate server orseries of servers, a database, or other data storage, internal orexternal to data store 130. Additionally, data store 130 may be anycomputer readable storage media accessible via network 140. Data store130 may index received electronic documents to be communicated to server110, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Server 110 includes ingestion application 120, as described in moredetail in reference to FIG. 2. In various embodiments, server 110operates generally to receive inputs, process a set of receivedelectronic documents based on the received inputs, analyze receivedelectronic documents, communicate analysis results, for example,ingestion plans, for display or storage for later processing, and hostapplications, for example ingestion application 120, which may processand/or store data.

Ingestion application 120 may be, for example, database oriented,computation oriented, or a combination of these. Ingestion application120 may operate generally to receive and process electronic documentsfrom a data store, for example, data store 130, via server 110. Receiveddocuments may contain structured data of various formats, for example,XML, HTML, PDF, various pictorial data, etc.

Ingestion application 120 may receive electronic documents from a datastore, for example, data store 130, via server 110. Ingestionapplication 120 may analyze the received document for table markers, forexample performing a search for an Extensible Markup Languageformatting, Unstructured Information Management Architecture formatting,or OpenDocument formatting, for table markers within structured dataembedded in the document. In various filing formats table markers may beidentified by the operation <TABLE> indicating a tabular structure ispresent. Ingestion application 120 may scan the tabular data for anytextual data within and index the textual data in a data store in memoryas textual hints associated with the tabular data. In variousembodiments, tabular data may be linked data, for example, Pivot Tablesor Linked Data Tables, or Object Linking and Embedding Tables. Thereceived electronic document may be rescanned, by ingestion application120, in order to extract textual data within the electronic document,which match or are associated with the textual hints, or “references.” Anumber of paragraphs around the textual data may be scanned forreferences. The number of paragraphs may be predetermined, or ingestionapplication 120 may use scoping operation, for example <scope=“col”> or<scope=“row”> to identify textual data around tabular data using thetabular data as borders for analysis, for scanning of references.

Ingestion application 120 may index references and associated tabulardata and generate a priority score based on a count of referencesassociated with a particular set of tabular data. An ingestion plan maybe generated by ingestion application 120 based an order of tabulardata. In various embodiments, order in which the tabular data is indexmay be based on the priority score. Ingestion application 120 may storethe ingestion plan, communicate the ingestion plan, or load the documentin response to executing the ingestion plan on a computing device, forexample, server 110.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustratingthe components of ingestion application 120 within the distributed dataprocessing environment 100 of FIG. 1. Ingestion application 120 includesreceiving module 200, analysis module 210, ingestion module 220, anddisplay module 230.

In reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, receiving module 200 may act generally toreceive inputs from and/or a document or sets of documents from adevice, for example, data store 130. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, receiving module 200 may receive a document containingtabular data and/or textual data that may be structured or unstructured.Receiving module 200 may communicate the received document or set ofdocuments, to analysis module 210 for further processing or store thereceived document or set of documents in a data store in memory.

Analysis module 210 may act generally to receive electronic documents,analyze received documents for tabular data, search identified tabulardata for textual hints, search received electronic documents for textualdata matching identified textual hints, index tabular data in a list,generate an ingestion plan, store the ingestion plan in a data store inmemory, communicate the ingestion plan, or load the received documentsin response to executing the ingestion plan on a computing device, forexample, server 110.

Analysis module 210 may use traditional techniques to load documents inmemory, for example, Apache POI, Apache UIMA, Apache ODFDOM, OCR, orother methods. Analysis module 210 may receive electronic documents froma data store, for example, data store 130, via server 110. Analysismodule 210 may receive the electronic documents via traditionaltechniques to load documents in memory, for example, Apache POI, ApacheUIMA, Apache ODFDOM, OCR, or other methods.

Analysis module 210 may perform a search of the received documentsscanning for table markers. Table markers may be any structure in theelectronic document indicating a table, for example, OLE embeddedmarkers or XML <TABLE>. In various embodiments, if nested tables, ortabular data within a table, are identified, analysis module 210 maypass over those table markers, but may identify nested table markers ina subsequent scan or marker search. In various embodiments analysismodule 210 may isolate tabular data and perform a search for nestedtabular data.

Analysis module 210 may extract textual hints from identified tabulardata. For example, a natural language search or metadata analysis may beused to extract textual data from identified tabular data. Textual hintsmay be, for example, table titles, reference names, column headers, rowheaders, words in a tabular region, and/or metadata associated withtabular data. In various embodiments, raw data text elements may beextracted and data-driven mapping may be used.

In an embodiment data-driven mapping may be used to generate a lookupset for all identified textual hints, for example, “Lookup” inStructured Query Language. Analysis module 210 may analyze thenon-tabular data in the received documents, for example, with a search,to identify textual data or words in non-tabular data that match textualdata or words associated with the textual hints. These matching wordsmay be referred to as “table references.”

In various embodiments, analysis module 210 may only search a number ofparagraphs around tabular data and not the entirety of the document. Thelimited search may be used when time or resource limitations arenecessary. The number of paragraphs to be searched around tabular datamay be determined by a predetermined number of paragraphs or analysismodule 210 may use a scoping operation, as described above to detecttabular data and search the paragraphs between tabular data, or use thetabular data as borders for the search of references. Analysis module210 may store or communicate the tabular markers, textual hints, andidentified references to ingestion module 220.

Ingestion module 220 may act generally to receive tabular and textualdata, prioritize tabular data, generate ingestion plans, and store,communicate, or execute ingestion plans. Ingestion module 220 mayreceive tabular markers, textual hints and identified referencescommunicated from analysis module 210. Ingestion module 220 may index,in a data store in memory, the received tabular data with the associatedtextual hints and references. Ingestion module 220 calculate a priorityscore, based on a determination of a count of references for each set oftabular data. In various embodiments natural language analysis may beused to determine categories for references and textual hints associatedwith tabular data.

Ingestion module 220 may generate an ingestion plan based on thepriority score associated with each set of tabular data. The ingestionplan may list the sets of tabular data, from highest priority score tolowest or vice versa, and generate a corresponding list of documents inthe same order as the list of associated sets of tabular data. Invarious embodiments, the ingestion plan may be altered due to amodification of the priority score. Ingestion module 220 may calculate apercent value corresponding to the percent of total textual data of thereceived document matches the textual hints. The priority score may bemodified by the percent value. In various embodiments a percent valuemay be a percent of textual data of the document matching thereferences. For example, if a set of tabular data has relatively fewreferences, thus a relatively low priority score, but those referencesmake up a relatively high percentage of the overall textual data in thedocument, the priority score for that set of tabular data may beincreased.

In various embodiments the percent value may be a percent of the set oftabular data matched in the textual data. For example, if 90% of thetextual data within a set of tabular data is also located in the textualdata of the document, the set of tabular data may have a relatively highpercent value, which may increase the priority score. In variousembodiments of the invention, ingestion module 220 may store theingestion plan, execute the ingestion plan on a computing device, forexample, server 110, or communication the ingestion plan display module230, for display on a computing device.

Display module 230 may act generally to communicate ingestion plans,tabular data and/or associated textual data, to be displayed, server 110or another computing device within the distributed data processingenvironment 100, through network 140. Display module 230 may receivecommunications from analysis module 210, for example, a generatedingestion plan. In various embodiments, display module 230 may receiveuser input, for example, selecting tabular data for ingestion not in theingestion plan, or input modifying the ingestion plan, which may becommunicated to analysis module 210.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of theexecution of ingestion application 120, within the distributed dataprocessing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, in various embodiments,data store 130 communicates one or more electronic documents 300 toreceiving module 200. Receiving module 200 receives one or more electricdocuments 300, through a network, for example network 140. Receivingmodule 200 communicates the received document(s) 300 to analysis module210 for further processing. Analysis module 210 identifies a pluralityof tabular data 310 within the analyzed plurality of received electronicdocuments 300.

Textual data 320 is identified by analysis module 210 within the tabulardata 310, as described above. One or more textual hints 330 aregenerated by analysis module 210 based on the textual data 320 withintabular data 310. In various embodiments, textual hints 330 may beindexed, stored in memory, or categorized semantically using naturallanguage processing.

References 340 are identified by analysis module 210 by matching textualhints 330 with other textual data within the received plurality ofelectronic documents 300. The other textual data may be located withoutthe tabular data 310. Tabular data 310, textual data 320, textual hints330, and references 340 are communicated to ingestion module 220 forfurther processing.

Ingestion module 220 calculated a count of references 350 based on thenumber of received references 340. In various embodiments, the count ofreferences 350 may be a linear scale, for example, if ingestion module220 receives 5 references 340, the count of references 350 will be 5, orany other appropriate scale. Ingestion module 220 calculates a priorityscore 360, based on the calculated count of references 350. Ingestionmodule 220 generates an ingestion plan 370, based on the calculatedpriority score 360. The ingestion plan 370 may be stored in memory,communicated to another module or computing device, or executed byingestion module 220.

Now referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting operationalsteps of ingestion application 120, on server 110 within the dataprocessing environment of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, in step 400,receiving module 200 receives an electronic documents from a computingdevice, for example, data store 130, via server 110, through network140. The documents may be in electronic format, for example, HTML, XML,or OCR extracted. In various embodiments, the electronic documents maybe preloaded onto data store 130. Receiving module communicates receiveddocuments to analysis module 210 and, in step 410, analysis module 210analyzes the received electronic documents by performing a search fortable markers, which identify tabular data. The search may be performedby scanning the electronic document for structured indicating a table,for example, OLE embedded markers or XML <TABLE>. In variousembodiments, the identified tabular data may be nested or un-nested asdescribed above. In step 420, analysis identifies a plurality of tabulardata based on the identified table markers indicative of tabular datawithin the electronic document.

In step 430, analysis module 210 identifies a textual hints. Textualhints are extracted from the plurality of tabular data, which representtextual data within the plurality of tabular data. For example, anatural language search or metadata analysis may be used to extracttextual data from identified tabular data. Analysis module 210 generatestextual hints, in step 440, based on the identified textual data.Textual hints may be, for example, table titles, reference names, columnheaders, row headers, words in a tabular region, and/or metadataassociated with tabular data.

In step 450, analysis module 210 identifies references within theelectronic document. References are identified with a search, andrepresent textual data or words in non-tabular data of the electronicdocument, that match textual data or words associated with, or within,the identified textual hints. The matched words may be referred to as“references” as described above.

Analysis module 210 communicates tabular data, textual hints andreferences to ingestion module 220 and, in step 460, ingestion module220 calculates a count of references for the identified plurality ofidentified tabular data. In various embodiments, the count may be onecount for each reference or a scalable count, which may be predeterminedor calculated by ingestion module 220. In step 470, ingestion module 220calculates a priority score. The priority score is based on thecalculated count of references. The priority score may be modified asdescribed below, in reference to FIG. 4. Ingestion module generates aningestion plan, in step 480, based on the priority score. In variousembodiments, the ingestion plan may be stored in memory, communicated toanother module or application on a computing device, or executed byingestion application 120.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an additional embodiment of theoperational steps of ingestion application 120, on server 110 within thedata processing environment of FIG. 1. Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and5, in step 500, receiving module 200 receives electronic documents froma computing device, for example, data store 130, via server 110.Receiving module communicates received documents to analysis module 210and, in step 505, analysis module 210 performs a search of the receiveddocuments to search for table markers, as described above. In variousembodiments, the identified tabular data may be nested or un-nested asdescribed above.

In step 510, analysis module 210 identifies or extracts textual hintsfrom identified tabular data. For example, a natural language search ormetadata analysis may be used to extract textual data from identifiedtabular data. Textual hints may be, for example, table titles, referencenames, column headers, row headers, words in a tabular region, and/ormetadata associated with tabular data. Analysis module 210 usesdata-driven mapping to generate a lookup set for all identified textualhints, in step 515. In step 520, analysis module 210 analyzes thenon-tabular data in the received documents, for example, with a search,to identify textual data or words in non-tabular data that match textualdata or words associated with the textual hints. The matched words maybe referred to as “references” as described above.

Analysis module 210 communicates tabular data, textual hints andreferences to ingestion module 220 and, in step 525, ingestion module220 indexes, in a data store in memory, the received tabular data withthe associated textual hints and references. Ingestion module 220calculates a count of references for each associated set of tabular dataand, in step 530, calculates a priority score based on the count ofreferences for each associated set of tabular data. For example, if aset of tabular data is indexed with 5 references, ingestion module 220may calculate a priority score of 5 and associate the priority scorewith the set of tabular data.

In decision step 535, ingestion module 220 may receive a priority scoremodifier. In various embodiments, the priority score modifier may befrom received user input, or a determination made by ingestion module220, as described above. If the priority score is modified, in responseto an input or determination, decision step 535 “YES” branch, ingestionmodule 220 calculate a new or modified priority score, in step 540, andstores the modified priority score with an associated set of tabulardata, in memory. Ingestion module 220 orders one or more sets of tabulardata in a list, wherein the order is based on the modified priorityscore, and, in step 545, generates an ingestion plan based on theordered list of sets of tabular data, If the priority score is notmodified, decision step 535 “NO” branch, ingestion module 220 orders oneor more sets of tabular data, wherein the order is based on the priorityscore, and generates an ingestion plan based on the priority score, instep 545.

In step 550, ingestion module 220 communicates the generated ingestionplan to a computing device for execution of the ingestion plan. Invarious embodiments, ingestion module 220 stores the ingestion plan forsubsequent processing or executed the ingestion plan on server 110within or without ingestion application 120.

Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of components ofserver 110 and data store 130 FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 6 providesonly an illustration of one implementation and does not imply anylimitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironment may be made.

Server 110 and data store 130 may include one or more processors 602,one or more computer-readable RAMs 604, one or more computer-readableROMs 606, one or more computer readable storage media 608, devicedrivers 612, read/write drive or interface 614, network adapter orinterface 616, all interconnected over a communications fabric 618.Communications fabric 618 may be implemented with any architecturedesigned for passing data and/or control information between processors(such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.),system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware componentswithin a system.

One or more operating systems 610, and one or more application programs611, for example, ingestion application 120, are stored on one or moreof the computer readable storage media 608 for execution by one or moreof the processors 602 via one or more of the respective RAMs 604 (whichtypically include cache memory). In the illustrated embodiment, each ofthe computer readable storage media 608 may be a magnetic disk storagedevice of an internal hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD, memory stick, magnetictape, magnetic disk, optical disk, a semiconductor storage device suchas RAM, ROM, EPROM, flash memory or any other computer-readable tangiblestorage device that can store a computer program and digitalinformation.

Server 110 and data store 130 may also include a R/W drive or interface614 to read from and write to one or more portable computer readablestorage media 626. Application programs 611 on server 110 and data store130 may be stored on one or more of the portable computer readablestorage media 626, read via the respective R/W drive or interface 614and loaded into the respective computer readable storage media 608.

Server 110 and data store 130 may also include a network adapter orinterface 616, such as a TCP/IP adapter card or wireless communicationadapter (such as a 4G wireless communication adapter using OFDMAtechnology) for connection to a network 617. Application programs 611 onserver 110 and data store 130 may be downloaded to a computing device,for example, server 110, from an external computer or external storagedevice via a network (for example, the Internet, a local area network orother wide area network or wireless network) and network adapter orinterface 616. From the network adapter or interface 616, the programsmay be loaded onto computer readable storage media 608. The network maycomprise copper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers,firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers.

Server 110 and data store 130 may also include a display screen 620, akeyboard or keypad 622, and a computer mouse or touchpad 624. Devicedrivers 612 interface to display screen 620 for imaging, to keyboard orkeypad 622, to computer mouse or touchpad 624, and/or to display screen620 for pressure sensing of alphanumeric character entry and userselections. The device drivers 612, R/W drive or interface 614 andnetwork adapter or interface 616 may comprise hardware and software(stored on computer readable storage media 608 and/or ROM 606).

Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrative cloud computing environment 700 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 700 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 710 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 740A, desktop computer 740B, laptop computer740C, and/or automobile computer system 740N may communicate. Computingnodes 710 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 700 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 740A-Nshown in FIG. 7 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 710 and cloud computing environment 700 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 8, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 700 (FIG. 7) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 8 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 800 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 801;RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 802;servers 803; blade servers 804; storage devices 805; and networks andnetworking components 806. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 807 and database software808.

Virtualization layer 870 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers871; virtual storage 872; virtual networks 873, including virtualprivate networks; virtual applications and operating systems 874; andvirtual clients 875.

In one example, management layer 880 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 881 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 882provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 883 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 884provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 885 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 890 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 891; software development and lifecycle management 892;virtual classroom education delivery 893; data analytics processing 894;transaction processing 895; and ingestion plan processing 896.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

Based on the foregoing, a computer system, method, and computer programproduct have been disclosed. However, numerous modifications andsubstitutions can be made without deviating from the scope of thepresent invention. Therefore, the present invention has been disclosedby way of example and not limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for generating aplan for document processing, the method comprising: receiving aplurality of electronic documents, by a computer using a network;analyzing the received plurality of electronic documents, using thecomputer, to identify a plurality of tabular data, based on the analyzedplurality of electronic documents; identifying textual data within theidentified tabular data, of the analyzed plurality of electronicdocuments; generating textual hints, based on the identified textualdata within the identified tabular data; identifying references, whereinreferences are based on matching textual hints with textual data in thereceived plurality of electronic documents; calculating a count ofreferences associated with one or more sets of tabular data; calculatinga priority score based on the count of references; and generating aningestion plan, based on the calculated priority score.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: communicating the generated ingestion plan;and executing the generated ingestion plan.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein calculating a count of references further comprises: generatingan index of textual hints; and generating a lookup set based on thegenerated index of textual hints.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating an ingestion plan further comprises: generating a orderedlist of the one or more subsets of the identified tabular data, based onthe calculated priority score associated with each of the one or moresubsets of identified tabular data; communicating a subset of thegenerated list, based on a threshold score, for display; andcommunicating the subset of the generated list for further processing.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating animportance value option for display to a user; receiving an importancevalue, based on receiving a user selection of the importance valueoption; modifying the calculated priority score, based on the receivedimportance value; and generating a second list of one or more subsets ofidentified tabular data, based on the modified calculated priorityscore.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying textual data isperformed by a natural language analysis.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: calculating a percent value based on a count ofidentified textual data associated with the subset one or more subsetsof identified tabular data; and modifying the calculated priority score,based on the calculated percent value.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: processing the generated list of one or more subsets oftabular data, wherein the processing includes: ordering the one or moresubsets of the generated list, based on the associated calculatedpriority score; extracting data associated with the one or more subsetsof tabular data; annotating the one or more subsets of tabular data; andextracting data from the annotated one or more subsets of tabular data.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the extracting data associated withthe one or more subsets of tabular data occurs subsequently to one ormore of: an Extensible Markup Language formatting; an UnstructuredInformation Management Architecture formatting; and an OpenDocumentformatting.
 10. A computer program product for generating a plan fordocument processing, the computer program product comprising: one ormore computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored onthe one or more computer-readable storage media, the programinstructions comprising: instructions to instructions to receive aplurality of electronic documents, by a computer using a network;instructions to analyze the received plurality of electronic documents,using the computer, to identify a plurality of tabular data, based onthe analyzed plurality of electronic documents; instructions to identifytextual data within the identified tabular data, of the analyzedplurality of electronic documents; instructions to generate textualhints, based on the identified textual data within the identifiedtabular data; instructions to identify references, wherein referencesare based on matching textual hints with textual data in the receivedplurality of electronic documents; instructions to calculate a count ofreferences associated with one or more sets of tabular data;instructions to calculate a priority score based on the count ofreferences; and instructions to generate an ingestion plan, based on thecalculated priority score.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10,further comprising: instructions to communicate the generated ingestionplan; and instructions to execute the generated ingestion plan.
 12. Thecomputer program product of claim 10, wherein calculating a count ofreferences further comprises: instructions to generate an index oftextual hints; and instructions to generate a lookup set based on thegenerated index of textual hints.
 13. The computer program product ofclaim 10, wherein generating an ingestion plan further comprises:instructions to generate a ordered list of the one or more subsets ofthe identified tabular data, based on the calculated priority scoreassociated with each of the one or more subsets of identified tabulardata; instructions to communicate a subset of the generated list, basedon a threshold score, for display; and instructions to communicate thesubset of the generated list for further processing.
 14. The computerprogram product of claim 10, further comprising: instructions tocommunicate an importance value option for display to a user;instructions to receive an importance value, based on receiving a userselection of the importance value option; instructions to modify thecalculated priority score, based on the received importance value; andinstructions to generate a second list of one or more subsets ofidentified tabular data, based on the modified calculated priorityscore.
 15. The computer program product of claim 10, whereininstructions to identify textual data is performed by a natural languageanalysis.
 16. The computer program product of claim 10, furthercomprising: instructions to calculate a percent value based on a countof identified textual data associated with the subset one or moresubsets of identified tabular data; and instructions to modify thecalculated priority score, based on the calculated percent value. 17.The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:instructions to process the generated list of one or more subsets oftabular data, wherein the instructions to process include: instructionsto order the one or more subsets of the generated list, based on theassociated calculated priority score; instructions to extract dataassociated with the one or more subsets of tabular data; instructions toannotate the one or more subsets of tabular data; and instructions toextract data from the annotated one or more subsets of tabular data. 18.The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions toextract data associated with the one or more subsets of tabular dataoccurs subsequently to one or more of: instructions to Extensible MarkupLanguage format; instructions to Unstructured Information ManagementArchitecture format; and instructions to OpenDocument format.
 19. Acomputer system for generating a plan for document processing, thecomputer system comprising: one or more computer processors; one or morecomputer-readable storage media; program instructions stored on thecomputer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the oneor more processors, the program instructions comprising: instructions toreceive a plurality of electronic documents, by a computer using anetwork; instructions to analyze the received plurality of electronicdocuments, using the computer, to identify a plurality of tabular data,based on the analyzed plurality of electronic documents; instructions toidentify textual data within the identified tabular data, of theanalyzed plurality of electronic documents; instructions to generatetextual hints, based on the identified textual data within theidentified tabular data; instructions to identify references, whereinreferences are based on matching textual hints with textual data in thereceived plurality of electronic documents; instructions to calculate acount of references associated with one or more sets of tabular data;instructions to calculate a priority score based on the count ofreferences; and instructions to generate an ingestion plan, based on thecalculated priority score.
 20. The system of claim 19, furthercomprising: instructions to calculate a percent value based on a countof identified textual data associated with the subset one or moresubsets of identified tabular data; and instructions to modify thecalculated priority score, based on the calculated percent value.